1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a vehicle side panel storage box assembly. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vehicle side panel storage box assembly mounted behind a rear wheel of a vehicle.
2. Background Information
A pickup truck is sometimes provided with an extra storage space. There are many different types of storage systems for vehicles such as pickup trucks. One of the most common storage system for a pickup trucks such is a rear box that is located in a rear bed portion of the pickup truck. More recently, integrated storage systems have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,401 discloses a vehicle storage bin provided in a lower box side panel section behind a rear wheel of a pickup truck. The storage bin of this patent is mounted to the vehicle by a pair of brackets. The brackets are configured to allow the entire storage bin to be pulled or rotated from a closed position to an opening position in which an access opening of the storage bin is exposed. In the storage bin of this patent, the storage bin is also provided with a latch for retaining the storage bin in the closed position. This latch can be provided with an optional locking assembly for locking the storage bin in the closed position.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved vehicle side panel storage box assembly. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.